AN ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS STATE FLAG REDESIGN INSPIRED BY JOHN ADAMS AND DONALD TRUMP

SUMMARY

This web page illustrates an anti-Trump Massachusetts state flag redesign based on a change in the Massachusetts coat of arms that replaces the controversial motto and crest with a new motto and a new crest that respectively references and symbolizes the historical role of Massachusetts in the development of the American constitutional system of government from the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers to the American Revolution. This change in the state coat of arms is inspired by the legal concept of a government of laws and not of men advocated by Founding Father and U.S. President, John Adams, and by the lack of respect for the rule of law by Donald J. Trump, a bad example of presidential leadership that the nation can do without. Whatever merits this redesign of the Massachusetts state flag may have as a serious proposal for change, it is meant to be an expression of anti-Trump sentiment in election year 2024 and nothing more, which is underscored by the fact that this web page also includes the following anti-Trump material: 2 images of a grandiose Donald Trump, one in the Oval Office, the other at the Trump Temple in Washington, D.C; 5 Trump warning flags; the Trump Chant; and the satirical Trump anthem Hail to The Donald--He Is Victorious!

All of these items are contained in the letter below written to friends and associates after receiving one from Minute Man, a resident of the Town of Lexington and an angry anti-Trumper who opposes a Massachusetts state flag redesign and claims the Massachusetts state coat of arms, state seal, and state flag are under attack by the left-wing intelligentsia who want to rewrite history and redefine America in terms of its sins.

The 2 Trump images, 5 Trump flags, the Trump Chant, and the lyrics of "Hail to The Donald--He is Victorious" that are on this web page are works that are dedicated to the public domain by William Brahms using CC0 1.0 Universal.

HERE ARE LINKS TO VIEW THESE ANTI-TRUMP ITEMS ON THIS PAGE

Donald Trump with his yes men reciting the Trump Chant in the Oval Office at the White House
Donald Trump with his MAGA Guard singing the Trump anthem before the Colossus of Trump at the Trump Temple in Washington, D.C.
Donald Trump anthem - The lyrics of Hail to The Donald--He Is Victorious!
Donald Trump anthem - The music of Hail to The Donald--He Is Victorious!
Trump Windbag Warning Flag
Trump Bombast Warning Flag
Trump Jailbird Flag No 1
Trump Jailbird Flag No 2
Trump Jailbird Flag No 3

ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS STATE FLAG REDESIGN: HERE ARE LINKS TO VIEW IT ON THIS PAGE

Anti-Trump Massachusetts Coat of Arms Redesign
Anti-Trump Massachusetts Coat of Arms - Alternate Redesign
Anti-Trump Massachusetts State Flag Redesign
Anti-Trump Massachusetts State Seal Redesign

A LETTER TO FRIENDS AND ASSOCIATES REGARDING MINUTE MAN'S REQUESTS TO CREATE AN ABSURD REDESIGN OF THE MASSACHUSETTS STATE FLAG AND A DESIGN OF AN ANTI-TRUMP FLAG

10 September 2023

From: W. Brahms
To: The Krewe of Barnburners at the House of Jazz
RE: Response to Minute Man's requests for an absurd Massachusetts state flag design and an anti-Trump flag design

Greetings,

Regarding Ron's question about Minute Man, yes indeed, the info from Reinhart is correct. I created 8 absurd state flag ideas, 5 anti-Trump flag designs, and an anti-Trump redesign of the Massachusetts state flag in spite of having sworn off doing any more flag ideas or designs after that atrocity I did 3 years ago for the State of Mississippi. How this turnabout happened is explained below. But first, I'll give short answers to your other questions to get them out of the way.

In answer to Jeff's question: Instead of living in peace and happy retirement with my wife as we both sit on the veranda sipping ice tea during the hot, dry summer, I am back in the saddle again only because they begged me to assist Tarus Bulba and his men in the gathering of Russian dirt.

In answer to Art's question: The older generation I worked with during the 70's in Berlin are practically all dead now.

In answer to Darren's question about what Flaming Parrot told him concerning my reputation with respect to all those escapades and mysterious disappearances: I will say that in my line of work with the way circumstances can change and change fast you had to be resourceful and creative to avoid compromising the mission and even get yourself out of danger no matter how strange, unconventional, unexpected, bizarre, or ridiculous the idea is. As long as it works so you can live to see tomorrow.

Quick answers to Adrian's questions:

Moose Cholock was a master safecracker from New York City. Did you know that his cousin in England was a cobbler and birdwatcher who worked on my team in Istanbul?

Due to RMS Pax Liquidator X and Terminator NCS which are not available to the public (and due to other means which shall remain undisclosed) my internet footprint is non-existent except for what you see here and can see in several other obscure places. This tells the world that despite of having had a price on my head I still exist mainly because I managed to evade and outlive the badass dictators and ruling oligarchs abroad who sought revenge for the secrets I stole about their dirty deals and bloody deeds.

Many times in the past I worked through intermediaries and I still do.

I selected the firearms best suited for the mission at hand.

Most of my pie-in-the sky ideas are meant to be exactly that, pie-in-the-sky ideas and nothing more than an excuse sometimes for crypto or stego testing with text or images, which includes some stuff that is or was on this website's front page or other pages. As things now stand, Codebreaker (Who else?) is the only one who uncovered the secret word or message in any of these tests to win the prize. As I promised to all who are successful at finding the hidden info in any of the tests, true to my word I sent Codebreaker the case of Chivas Regal 25 and a box of the finest Cuban cigars as a bonus even though I never smoked.

And now back to Ron's question about my turnabout. It originated with the requests I received in a letter from Minute Man, who is now traveling in Europe with Ava. True to form, his letter opens with a style that matches the vitriol of Ed Anger:

These are the first words in his latest protest against more taxes and waste of taxpayer money in his home state of Taxachusetts where 3 shiploads of tea were once tossed into Boston Harbor by angry Mohawks in a protest against a tea tax. In 2022 I helped him write his broadside against a new tax which to his disappointment was approved in a referendum. A year later he is at it again with another protest. What triggered his anger this time is the way he says time and money are being wasted on a needless effort to replace the state coat of arms, which by law must appear on the state seal and state flag. He further writes:

His angry words go on to explain that, despite the fact that regimental flags bearing the state coat of arms were carried during the Civil War by Massachusetts militia units that defeated the racist Confederacy, some Native American groups have denounced the state seal and flag as racist symbols of white supremacy because they claim the state coat of arms has a design that celebrates the subjugation of the indigenous population after many of that group were put to the sword. They regard the crest, motto, and Native American figure to be three offensive elements in the design of the arms. He sent me the following 3 images:

MASSACHUSETTS COAT OF ARMS

MASSACHUSETTS STATE FLAG

MASSACHUSETTS STATE SEAL

He also sent me 4 sources of information about the history and heraldry of the coat of arms, 3 of these being publications issued by the Secretary of the Commonwealth and one being an article written by E. H. Garrett titled The Coat of Arms and Great Seal of Massachusetts that was published in The New England Magazine, Vol. XXIII, September 1900 - February 1901 when the design of the arms was standardized into its current form. No mention is made in these materials that the motto refers to the indigenous population being put to the sword, that the crest symbolizes it, and the figure of a Native American holding a downward-pointing arrow signifies submission. Furthermore, there is no mention of such symbolism in the legislation that describes the coat of arms. (Mass. Gen. Laws Chap. 2 Sect. 1). Minute Man explains that the arm wielding a sword is a common heraldic device called an arm embowed that's been used for centuries. The motto ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SVB LIBERTATE QVIETEM when loosely translated from Latin is By The Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty. The words are attributed to the 17th century political theorist and politician, Algernon Sydney, whose writings in support of republicanism and in opposition to absolute monarchy and the divine right of kings inspired America's Founding Fathers. The sword symbolizes and the motto refers to the role of Massachusetts in the American Revolution. The Native American on the shield symbolizes the indigenous population from which the state received its name. If the downward-pointing arrow signifies anything, it signifies peace--not submission and defeat. In spite of all this, he says the advocates for change and the politicos who have bought into their woke thinking have chosen to ignore the facts of the coat of arms' history and heraldry. Therefore, he has asked me to create an absurd, terrible redesign in order to make a point in a letter he plans to write to the editors of a local newspaper that will criticize efforts to change the state coat of arms, seal, and flag.

So why has he asked me to do this?

First, because I owe him for favors he's done for me. Then there's all those old stories and jokes that have been circulating for decades about my activities as an artiste, a reputation that originated in one of my many activities on both sides of the Curtain during the 70's and 80's when I embedded coded information in enough Socialist Realism and decorative motifs to escape detection despite the artwork's level of badness. Yet, despite my denials that I am an artist or an expert in heraldry or vexillography, in 2020 I was asked by several friends in Mississippi to take advantage of a rare opportunity to submit a state flag design proposal when the State of Mississippi wished to replace its flag. Even though I expressed my reluctance to undertake such a task because I did not consider myself knowledgeable enough of the state's history and culture to create anything worthwhile, nevertheless, they insisted that I submit something to see if my creativity still lived up to my reputation for bad art. In response to their repeated entreaties I finally relented, if only to bring an end to an endless and exasperating train of appeals coming from friends and associates around the world. To satisfy their curiosity, I created what they expected to see, an absurd joke flag. For the State of Mississippi I did a design that featured on a field of green a revision of the Jolly Roger where the skull was replaced by the red face of a snickering Satan and the crossbones replaced by two crossed duelling pistols discharging white powder. Along the top edge of the flag in yellow lettering was the motto FOR HONOR IN OUR DUEL WITH THE DEVIL, and along the bottom edge in yellow lettering was the motto IN GOD WE TRUST! This awful amalgam of God and guns with the Devil and a long-abandoned custom of the Old South was so bad it wasn't even included in the 2000 submissions made to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and for good reason. This atrocity was probably the worst idea for a state flag they ever saw before it got dispatched to the nearest dumpster. Not that it mattered. Of course, my effort was not a serious proposal. Everyone understood that it was meant for laughs and to see how far it would go, for it was the subject of a wager and many side bets. Because it didn't go beyond the dumpster, it was acclaimed by my friends and associates around the world as the boldest execution of bad taste they ever saw and became the butt of endless jokes like my kitsch of decades ago. When my friends in Mississippi deemed it bad enough for the Magnolia State Blue Ribbon Booby Prize, they admonished me to never again attempt another state flag design or even attempt the modification of an existing one, which firmly established my reputation as The World's Worst Artiste. In response to all the ribbing I endured for that dubious distinction, I pointed out that my flag has one redeeming quality that must be appreciated: it is a masterpiece of bad art that can be proudly and patriotically flown as a celebration of that longstanding American tradition: the right of free speech, or more specifically, the right of bad free speech. Had I been careless enough to create and propose such a flagrant atrocity as an official flag for one of the countries I worked in where this right is suppressed, for certain it would've been dispatched to the nearest dumpster; and I dispatched to the farthest gulag. Minute Man is well aware of my Mississippi Devil and Crosspistols and the reaction to it after which I swore to never do any more flag designs. But that did not deter him from making his request. Bad art is what he wanted in order to make his point in the letter to the editors, and in me he saw a master of bad taste and ironic value who can deliver just what he wanted. So he asked me to produce something along a similar vein which would ridicule what in his opinion is another bad idea and waste of taxpayer money. He knows that I have long detested waste of public money on pet projects, pork barrel, earmarks, boondoggles, and influence peddling. Overseas, I followed money trails and non-money trails in the global shadow economy and uncovered enough evidence of crime, corruption, and waste due to illicit trade, weapons smuggling, theft, dirty deals, kickbacks, bribery, extortion, and treason to turn stomachs several times over before its contents are forcibly ejected through an upper orifice and what remains through a lower one. In summary, Minute Man commissioned me to create a design as absurd as the one I did for Mississippi, one that won't cost the people of Massachusetts one red cent but is more than what the Do Nothing But Flush Committee did with their $100,000 budget of taxpayer money.

So where does one begin? Minute Man mentioned that no proposed design will be given consideration unless it meets a certain set of criteria being advocated by the proponents of the change, namely, that a new state seal and flag must incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion in its design. So how do I deal with that for comic effect?

Well, with a realistic style I could load up my design with a plethora of human figures or faces that represent a cross section of the state's humanity based on multiple categories. To that I could add a plethora of natural objects such as mayflowers, codfish, lobsters, scallop shells, chickadees, wild turkeys, cranberries, a pine tree, Plymouth Rock, Bunker Hill, etc. as well as man-made things such as lighthouses, clipper ships, sail boats, swan boats, Boston baked beans, Boston cream pies, Sam Adams Beer, Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, Fenway Park, Old Ironsides, The Old Howard, etc. Thus, I would end up with a collage that has enough of everything for everyone to meet the criteria for diversity, equity, and inclusion with a state seal that looks like a target riddled with birdshot and a state flag that looks like a painter's drop cloth. Or I could go with an abstract style where I create a design that would meet the criteria for diversity, equity, and inclusion with symbolic elements that are so abstract as to be subject to any interpretation which would, of course, ultimately render the design meaningless like flying a Rorschach test on a flagpole.

And to please those who insist that America must be redefined by its sins, then not only the good but also the bad and the ugly of Massachusetts must be acknowledged. If that must be symbolized, then what comes to mind here are witches hats, ducking stools, the stocks, whipping posts, pillories, scarlet letters, Christmas outlawed, hanging trees for Quakers, King Philip's War clubs, colonial era slave chains, the Boston Massacre, Shays' Rebellion, the original Gerrymander, nativist No Nothings, No Irish Need Apply, the 1872 Boston Fire, the infamous Ax of 40 Whacks, Banned in Boston, the Molasses Flood, Ponzi Triangles, a Brinks truck, stolen Rembrandts, the Curse of the Bambino, the departed and the man who never returned.

After having given all the above due consideration, I decided to keep it simple with recognizable design elements on a white field regardless of whether they meet the criteria for diversity, equity, and inclusion. It was either that or just a plain white flag of surrender for Minute Man. After I let my imagination fly, I came up with 8 design ideas for a new state flag that reflect the history, traditions, and culture of Massachusetts in a way that meets Minute Man's criteria for terribleness.

1. The first design idea was inspired by Minute Man's anger, Boston's famous tax protest, and a Stephen King horror film. It features on a white field a colonial era tea chest inscribed with the word TAX from which greenbacks are being dumped into the waters of a blue toilet seat. Embedded in the tea chest is an axe. Along the top edge of the flag is the motto FOR THE BAY STATE. And along the bottom edge is the motto HERE'S JOHNNY! When out-of-control, tax-and-spend politicians see this flag flying from rooftops across the state, perhaps it'll conjure up in their minds the specter of out-of-control, axe-wielding taxpayers chopping their way through the doors of the house and senate chambers, which would make the pols more reluctant to approve another tax increase or new tax.
2. On a white field, a shield divided into 4 quadrants. In the upper left quadrant, a bottle of beer; in the upper right quadrant, a hand holding a firing pistol pointed downward; in the lower right quadrant, a foot with a bandaged big toe; in the lower left quadrant, a dollar sign. Above the shield is the word TAXACHUSETTS. Surrounding the shield is the blue ribbon bearing the motto WHERE YOU BOT THE BOOZE, SHOT THE TOE, AND PAID THE TAX! I'll leave it to the reader's imagination as to whether the toe was shot in anger at a Massachusetts liquor joint for having to pay the sales tax or the toe was shot at home after getting stoned. If Bay Staters see this flag flying at retail establishments in New Hampshire, it'll serve as a droll reminder to stock up before crossing the border back into Taxachusetts.
3. On a white field, a shield divided into 4 quadrants. In each quadrant is the emblem of one of Boston's four major league sports teams: the Red Sox, the New England Patriots, the Celtics, and the Bruins. Surrounding the shield is the blue ribbon bearing the motto FROM THE THRILL OF VICTORY TO THE AGONY OF WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR Every year in the Bay State hope springs eternal during spring training.
4. On a white field, in the center is a shield that features one of the most infamous photographs in American political campaign history, a closeup of the face of a former Massachusetts governor wearing a helmet when he rode atop a tank as a candidate for the U.S. Presidency in 1988. The crest is a side view of an army tank firing away. To the left of the shield in blue lettering is the word KABOOM! To the right of the shield in blue lettering is the word KAPUT! The shield is surrounded by the blue ribbon that bears the motto BY THE TANK I SEEK THE MASSACHUSETTS MIRACLE. That photograph was no help to a political campaign that ended in defeat; but at least this design suggests that a former governor of Massachusetts stands in good company with a former governor of Puerto Rico who also wore a helmet during his quixotic quest for the Florida Miracle, better known as the Fountain of Youth.
5. On a white field, a modified version of the current coat of arms where the crest is a stop sign and the Native American on the shield is signalling Halt! with his right hand and is holding a one-way ticket in his left hand. The motto on the blue ribbon surrounding the shield is worded GET BACK TO WHERE YOU ONCE BELONGED AND LEAVE US ALONE WITH THIS TICKET TO RIDE BACK HOME! which expresses a sentiment that is the opposite of COME OVER AND HELP US, words which were depicted as being spoken by a Native American who appeared on the seal of the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the 17th century. Could the lyrics of the Fab Four be inspiration for a new state song? Arlo Guthrie, the Bee Gees, A.J. Marsh, Joseph Falzone, and Lenny Gomulka have already written songs about Massachusetts.
6. On a white field, a solid blue area in the shape of Massachusetts overlaid with an image of Plymouth Rock surrounded by a glory which look more like action lines that depict the moment of impact a gigantic asteroid crash lands into the earth bringing about the end of the state and the rest of the world.
7. On a white field, the face of Alfred E. Neuman. Above that in bold blue lettering are the words WHAT? ME WORRY? Below the face in the same bold blue lettering is the word INCUMBENCY. A fitting emblem for the bluest of the blue states.
8. On a white field, the words NO OFFENSE, BUT ARE YOU NEVERTHELESS OFFENDED BY THESE WORDS? IF SO, THEN REPLACE THEM IF YOU DARE AND PREPARE TO GIVE OFFENSE TO SOMEONE SOMEHOW SOMEWHERE. Just as you can't fool all the people all the time, you can't please all the people all the time--except in places like Iraq under Saddam Hussein who won reelection by the unanimous vote of the people.

I sent these ideas to Minute Man. He is currently mulling over a choice. He will let me know if he wants more ideas or which of these eight he wants me to use to create a design that will accompany his letter to the editors. Meanwhile, he's asked me to do him another favor. He wants me to give the target of his most acerbic protests the same kind of business, that target being a person whom he has vociferously denounced as The Bete Noire of Mar-a-Lago who, of course, is the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, a person for whom Minute Man is never at a loss of words of criticism. As he wrote:

In response I was all too willing to oblige; for I have little admiration for The Donald due to his conduct and lack of character, integrity, and respect for the rule of law. But with Trump I've got my hands full. How do you caricature a caricature? What is the appropriate symbolism for an individual who is larger than life for the wrong reasons? An individual whose grandiosity is legendary, who revels in controversy, and who used the presidency as a means to a personal end: to become more famous, more marketable, more richer, more bigger, more this, more that, and make the Trump Circus The Greatest Show on Earth. The show is Trump, and it is sold-out performances everywhere, he told Playboy magazine in 1990. Here is a ringmaster who revels in the trappings of wealth and power, always seeking to be the center of attention and in control of all others within his sphere of influence while he brags and exaggerates the truth about himself in a never-ending quest to gain ever more recognition and validation of his own worth. To illustrate this, let's put the spotlight on the ringmaster and let his own words speak for himself, words that were spoken before he assumed the presidency:

• Part of the beauty of me is that I am very rich. (ABC’s Good Morning America, March 17, 2011)
• If you don’t tell people about your success, they probably won’t know about it. (How to Get Rich, 2004)
• If I get my name in the paper, if people pay attention, that’s what matters. (Donald Trump: Master Apprentice, 2005)
• Controversy, in short, sells. (The Art of the Deal, 1987)
• I'm intelligent. Some people would say I'm very, very, very intelligent. (Fortune, April 3, 2000)
• Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest--and you know it! Please don't feel so stupid or insecure, it's not your fault. (Twitter, September 5, 2013)
• About women: You have to treat ’em like shit. (New York [magazine], Nov. 9, 1992)
• It really doesn't matter what [the media] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass. (Esquire, 1991)
• All the women on The Apprentice flirted with me--consciously or unconsciously. That's to be expected. (How to Get Rich, 2004)
• When I'm attacked, I fight back, but I was attacked viciously by these women. Of course, it's very hard for them to attack me on looks because I'm so good looking. (NBC's Meet the Press, Aug. 9, 2015)
• It's all in the hunt and once you get it, it loses some of its energy. I think competitive, successful men feel that way about women. (TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald, 2005)
• I was bored when she (Marla) was walking down the aisle. I kept thinking: What the hell am I doing here? I was so deep into my business stuff. I couldn't think of anything else. (TrumpNation: The Art of Being The Donald, 2005)
• Show me someone without an ego, and I'll show you a loser. (Facebook, Dec. 9, 2013)
• You learn that you're either the toughest, meanest piece of s%#t in the world or you just crawl into a corner . . . Guys that I thought were tough were nothin'. (New York Magazine, Aug. 15, 1994)
• Sometimes, part of making a deal is denigrating your competition. (The Art of the Deal, 1987)
• For many years, I've said that if someone screws you, screw them back. When somebody hurts you, just go after them as viciously and as violently as you can. (How to Get Rich, 2004)
• If somebody tries to push me around, he's going to pay a price. Those people don't come back for seconds. I don't like being pushed around or taken advantage of. (Playboy, March 1990)
• The show is Trump, and it is sold-out performances everywhere. (Playboy, March 1990)
• I do whine because I want to win, and I'm not happy about not winning, and I am a whiner, and I keep whining and whining until I win. (CNN, Aug. 10, 2015)
• About John McCain: I supported him. He lost. He let us down. But he lost. So I never liked him much after that, because I don't like losers....He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured, OK? (Ames, Iowa, July 18, 2015)

I will spare you the comments he made as a sitting U.S. President, most especially the claim about a stolen election coming from a man in attack mode going after them as viciously and as violently as you can.

When I look at The Donald, what comes to mind is the impression of a man who likes nothing better than to place himself high enough on a pedestal in the public arena so this colossus of success can look down on the world and the world can look up at this American Ozymandias and see his unique display of over-the-top ostentation that includes trumpeting the Trump brand on beverages, board games, magazines, mortgages, casinos, cologne, deodorant, apparel, neckties, underwear, home products, hotels, golf courses, urine test kits, fake universities, steaks, planes in the sky, and atop buildings, a brand which has as its unwritten advertising slogan Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! When I look, I despair that this colossus of success half sunk in a morass of criminal allegations and civil judgements will see success in learning the lesson given in Proverbs 11:2 (NIV), When pride comes, then comes disgrace. Hence, the Trump Show goes on. Bloviating, haranguing, and careening from one absurdity to the next, his rise in the political sphere owes more to charisma than character, which regrettably enough is being increasingly devalued in public life. With the absurd claim of a stolen election and his wretched attempt to remain in office by overturning swing state election outcomes and pressuring lawmakers to reject slates of electors, The Donald has proven himself to be more Ozymandias than he is Cincinnatus.

So what design should a piece of cloth have in opposition to the Trump Circus? To meet Minute Man's criteria for a MAGA eyesore, perhaps a caricature of a character lacking character that conveys a warning. Mindful of this, I came up with 5 designs for Minute Man's flagpole.

My first design is inspired by the fact that public comments of The Donald were incendiary enough to get himself banned from Twitter, which is the reason why the judge at his first arraignment warned him to refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest and not engage in words or conduct which jeopardizes the rule of law. Yet, that didn't stop The Donald from delivering a rant a day later on Truth Social that called for defunding the Department of Justice because the Democrats have weaponized law enforcement in this country with an abuse of power also aimed at rigging elections already under siege, presumably to prevent The Donald from winning a second term. (Trump knows not whereof he speaks. I've witnessed the real thing in person: sham elections in countries with dictatorial regimes that have weaponized law enforcement to suppress all political dissent.) There is danger to our republic should this kind of thinking about the integrity of law enforcement and electoral systems gain wide currency. Such rhetoric only worsens the country's divisions and leads to rising tensions and disorder as we have already seen with those who are willing to employ anti-democratic tactics to overturn an election with a vote in Congress--or with an act of violence outside of it.

In view of all this, perhaps appropriate is a warning to the nation about Trump, a storm forecasted to move from Mar-a-Lago in all northerly and westerly directions across the country with sustained gale force braggadocio that will include peak gusts of dangerous incendiary bombast and a storm surge of lies. A redesign of the maritime storm warning flag that replaces the solid black center square with a MAGA red silhouette of this bombastic windbag will do. Here it is:

TRUMP WINDBAG WARNING FLAG

Trump Windbag Warning Flag by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

My second design is a variant that depicts Trump's bombastic windbaggery as ominous mushroom clouds:

TRUMP BOMBAST WARNING FLAG

Trump Bombast Warning Flag by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

Because these two flags are meant to mimic an existing warning flag that has no motto, I believe the Trump Windbag Warning Flag and the Trump Bombast Warning Flag should not have mottos. They suffice as anti-Trump warning flags. Yet, Minute Man wanted one with a motto. To meet his criteria, I created a third anti-Trump flag design.

My third design is inspired by the fact that what we have here at first glance appears to be a version of the all-American success story of how its protagonist took a local real estate business and expanded it into a large international commercial enterprise. There's little doubt that the Trump Empire is built upon successful entrepreneurship and success in marketing a particular brand and mythology. As The Donald would have it, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and into the stratospheric Billionaire Class due to his superior intelligence and financial acumen by which he achieved success after success. This is the scenario that he is always selling and would like all of us to buy. However, we get closer to the truth with the full version of the story which includes chapters about the role of inheritance and luck; depressing chapters about third-rate products, debacles, and bankruptcies; sordid chapters about crooked deals, broken promises, and lawsuits. These are chapters which the protagonist would like all of us to ignore, for they reveal a public image of success based upon unsubstantiated claims and plenty of hype and expose the questionable character of the public figure behind that image. Add to this the facts that he's been twice impeached and is the subject of four criminal investigations for acts committed prior and during his term in office as U.S. President and the first in American history to be indicted and arraigned. So what we have here with The Donald is not so much a version of the Horatio Alger story of how Ragged Dick, the poor and humble bootblack of New York City, went from rags to riches due to honest hard work but something of the reverse, the story of how proud and haughty Rugged Don of New York City went from riches to loss of respectability. No wonder many New Yorkers wished him good riddance when he took up residence in Florida and would like to see him take up residence in jail behind bars after his cases come to trial.

So how do I pull all that together and put it into a design? By first taking note that one of The Donald's worst products, a board game titled Trump: the Game, is a knockoff of the popular board game Monopoly and then noting the irony of seeing the face of this real estate tycoon and icon of success in jail behind bars in a corner space of the Monopoly real estate board game he imitated and tried to outdo with his own version. Again, with MAGA red, which in this design is surrounded (or imprisoned!) by Blue State Blue, here it is:

TRUMP JAILBIRD FLAG No. 1

Trump Jailbird Flag No. 1 by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

Like the Trump Windbag Warning Flag and the Trump Bombast Warning Flag illustrated above, this depiction of the Jailbird Trump suffices as an anti-Trump flag that conveys a warning; for it also mimics the diamond-shaped hazardous materials warning labels often seen on commercial vehicles. For this reason I believe again there's no need for a motto here. Yet, Minute Man wanted one. To give him what he asked for, I would have to modify the above design to accommodate a motto, which was easy to do since this third design is not meant to mimic an existing flag. I solicited suggestions for a motto from family, friends, neighbors, and former associates including C.J. Vernon, Ryan, Austin, Black Jack, Poker Dice, and Bazooka Joe. The following are typical of what I received:

Fired - Arraigned - Convicted - Jailed

Kicked Ass - Ass Kicked - Judged Guilty - Doing Time

From The White House - To The Jailhouse - No Bail For The Chief

From The Art Of The Deal - To The Art Of The Steal - Time To Do Time

For Organized High Crimes And Misdemeanors - Don Magaga Behind Bars

For a motto I wanted something that provided more than these jailbird expressions. I wanted one that also makes reference to the rule of law for which Trump has demonstrated a lack of respect. This together with the image of America's first billionaire president in jail would serve as a warning that no one is above the law regardless of wealth, political influence, and social status. Despite my efforts to create a suitable motto, I kept coming up empty handed until one day while reviewing intelligence data I heard a radio news broadcast about the events of January 6, 2021, a day on which I was in Washington, D.C. on a 7 day visit for a series of meetings with Russ Anders and others who had arrived two months earlier and set up temporary headquarters which included a large, spacious, wood-paneled office in downtown Washington where Anders worked. Hearing that broadcast triggered a recall of the meeting held in Anders' office on that day and the rough draft of an account of it I wrote that evening when the conversations were fresh in my mind. The final draft was sent in an encrypted message to Mountaintop two days later. This recollection prompted me to go to the archive and review it in hope of finding inspiration for a motto in events that happened at the U.S. Capitol during that day of infamy. What follows is a long excerpt from my message to Mountaintop:

At first, when I reviewed this account of January 6 I found nothing in it to inspire a motto. But reading it aroused my curiosity about the Trump version of the Bullmoose Chant. It is not my own idea. I first saw it two weeks after Trump lost the election in an email I received from another friend in Massachusetts whom I first met in '91 on one of my several visits to Harvard. A few days after January 6 I sent him an email describing how we made good use of it at the meeting, but at that time I did not ask him where this variation of the original came from. But now over 2 years later with my curiosity aroused, I sent him another email asking how did he come by it. In his reply he wrote the following:

I thought so too and wanted to see this scene brought to life which shows Trump and his yes men in the Oval Office redecorated for his second term. One month later I sent him an email with the following message:

DONALD TRUMP WITH HIS YES MEN RECITING THE TRUMP CHANT IN THE OVAL OFFICE AT THE WHITE HOUSE
TRUMP CHANT ON THE CARPET
RED HATS AND HELPING HANDS WITH DIRTY FINGERS

Donald Trump With His Yes Men Reciting the Trump Chant in the Oval Office at the White House - Trump Chant on the Carpet - Red Hats and Helping Hands With Dirty Fingers by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain..

DONALD TRUMP WITH HIS MAGA GUARD SINGING THE TRUMP ANTHEM HAIL TO THE DONALD--HE IS VICTORIOUS!
BEFORE THE COLOSSUS OF TRUMP AT THE TRUMP TEMPLE IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
RED HATS AND HELPING HANDS WITH DIRTY FINGERS

Donald Trump With His MAGA Guard Singing the Trump Anthem "Hail to the Donald--He is Victorious!" Before the Colossus of Trump at the Trump Temple in Washington, D.C. - Red Hats and Helping Hands With Dirty Fingers by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

Lyrics of the Trump Anthem "Hail to the Donald--He is Victorious!" by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places these lyrics into the public domain.

To hear the music for the above lyrics of the Trump anthem Hail to The Donald--He Is Victorious!, here is a link to a YouTube music video where the original Dr. Seuss lyrics of the song We Are Victorious are sung:

When my friend saw this he replied:

A nation of laws and not of men like Trump

Those last words in his reply aroused my interest when I read them. This phrase had a ring of familiarity not only because Anders used the expression a nation of laws and not of men at the meeting but also because I noticed its similarity to an expression used by one of the Founding Fathers at the time of the American Revolution with respect to the idea that all persons must be governed by the same laws regardless of their station as opposed to a government of men that dispenses unequal justice with abusive practices that deny due process to individuals and groups targeted by the ruling elite. When I wrote my account of the events of January 6 to Mountaintop and when this year I reviewed my archived account, I paid little attention to the expression. But now that I did after reading the above reply, I realized that I found what I was looking for. I had my motto, one that makes reference to the rule of law which together with the image of the Jailbird Trump would serve as a warning that no one is above the law. Anders misquoted Founding Father, lawyer, political theorist, writer, statesman, diplomat, first Vice-President, and second President of the United States, John Adams. Writing a series of articles that appeared in the Boston Gazette under the pseudonym Novanglus, in the seventh article of the series published in 1775 Adams argued that a republic is:

a government of laws, and not of men,

in contrast to empires characterized by the despotic, arbitrary, and abusive rule of men that has little or no respect for the rights of the people. (Adams was in fact rephrasing the expression an empire of men, and not of laws which was written by the 17th century English political theorist, James Harrington.) Even though he misquoted Adams, Anders made a point about Trump's lack of respect for the rule of law. Here's a statement Trump made that reveals his understanding of due process as it relates to matters involving the declassification of documents:

Huh? With such regard for due process is this the thinking of a U.S. president or King John of England? Such in-brain presidential declassification without due process is more characteristic of a government of men and not of laws. Adams and the Founding Fathers must be rolling in their graves. With the words of Adams along with the addition of the verb trumped, which Anders used in his tirade, I finally had my motto which together with the image of the Jailbird Trump warns what those who lack respect for the rule of law deserve. Here is my fourth anti-Trump flag design for Minute Man. Note the irony in using Trump's last name as a verb to express his undoing:

TRUMP JAILBIRD FLAG No. 2

Trump Jailbird Flag No. 2 by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

And here is my fifth anti-Trump flag design, a variant that parodies the Trump campaign slogan of 2020. I am sending this design to Minute Man as a bonus.

TRUMP JAILBIRD FLAG No. 3

Trump Jailbird Flag No. 3 by William Brahms is marked with CC0 1.0 Universal <-- Click this icon to see the document that places this image into the public domain.

Worthy of note is the fact that several years after Adams wrote his words in the Boston Gazette, he wrote them in the following paragraph:

This paragraph is from Part 1 Article XXX of the Massachusetts Constitution which was drafted in 1779 primarily by Adams himself after being assigned that duty as a member of a sub-sub committee of one by the world's first constitutional convention. It is among the oldest written constitutions still in effect and the first state constitution to be ratified directly by the people. When Adams drafted it, he incorporated into the constitution the framework of government he articulated in his 1776 pamphlet Thoughts on Government, which advocated for a system of government that has a separation of powers with checks and balances. The framework of government embodied in the Constitution of Massachusetts along with its Declaration of Rights became a model for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 which drafted the United States Constitution. Because these words of Adams are in the constitution of a state that has an ongoing controversy over its flag, my thoughts drifted back and forth between my eight absurd state flag ideas--which I enumerated above and sent to Minute Man--and my anti-Trump flag design that makes use of Adams' words in a motto. Then I got the idea of sending Minute Man another bonus: an anti-Trump state flag design. This would be a version of his state's flag that makes use of Adams' words in a modification of the Massachusetts coat of arms, a modification which in light of Trump's disdain for the rule of law could be regarded as anti-Trump if not explicitly so. Given the fact that this redesign is not a serious proposal for changing the state flag and given Minute Man's loathing of Trump, seeing a version of the state flag as an expression of anti-Trump sentiment would please him to no end; for anything critical of Trump no matter what shape or form it comes in--as he once told me--is more than welcome enough to make his day. Besides, I had another motive for doing this. Three years after being admonished to never again attempt a new state flag design or even the modification of an existing one, I wanted to surprise--indeed shock--all those who did the admonishing and ribbing with something they would never expect from an artiste with a stellar reputation for kitsch and joke flags: a state flag design modification that is no joke. The modification I had in mind would be accomplished by replacing the most controversial elements--the motto and the crest.

As for the motto, in my redesign I replaced the current motto with this slightly altered version of Adams' words that describe what kind of nation the United States is and is not:

A NATION OF LAWS AND NOT OF MEN

This is the phrase that Anders used in his office during his anti-Trump tirade when he said ...that our country is a nation of laws and not of men like Trump possessed by their own arrogance, self-aggrandizement, and lust for power! Others have used this variation of Adams' phrase.

As for the crest, without a motto that references the sword, it becomes less effective in its symbolism. As I considered a replacement, I thought about the role that Adams had in advancing the idea that the framework of the republican form government should be in the form of written constitution ratified by the people. Such a document is indeed an essential characteristic of the American Experiment which began in an age when documents were written with a quill pen. And with this train of thought the image of a hand wielding a quill pen came to mind as a symbol of rule by the consent of the governed who ratified a written framework for a government of laws and not of men. With this symbol in the crest I had my coat of arms.

Or so I thought until I saw more of Adams' writing in the Preamble of the Massachusetts Constitution:

What caught my attention in this sentence is the word compact, the idea of which did not originate with Adams. The social contract theory can be traced back to ancient Greece but achieved great currency in the 17th and 18th centuries among philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau who promoted the natural rights philosophy and social compact theory where governments are established by way of a voluntary compact between rulers and the ruled so that the absolute rights of the latter can be secured. The Thirteen Colonies declared their independence in 1776 based on these ideas and Adams was acting on these when he drafted the state constitution in 1779. The Founding Fathers did likewise when they drafted the federal constitution in 1787. By the time Adams and the Founding Fathers did this the colonies for over a century and a half had become accustomed to the idea that governments exist by the consent of the governed. They regarded their colonial charters as compacts between themselves and the kings of Great Britain. The Mayflower Compact of 1620 serves as the earliest concrete example of a social contract enacted among colonial settlers and set a precedent for the establishment of a democratic government by the consent of the governed. Its influence can be seen in later important documents in American history including the Declaration of Independence and later social compacts in the form of the federal and state constitutions. What follows are 3 illustrations of these historic events of 1620, 1779, and 1787.

SIGNING OF THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT - 1620

Signing of the Mayflower Compact by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (1899)

DRAFTING THE MASSACHUSETTS CONSTITUTION
JAMES BOWDOIN, JOHN ADAMS, SAMUEL ADAMS - 1779

1779 - John Adams, Samuel Adams, and James Bowdoin Drafting the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 by Albert Herter (1942)

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION OF 1787

The Signing of the Constitution by Louis S. Glanzman (1987)

The first 2 events took place in Massachusetts. In 1620 the Pilgrim Fathers signed the Mayflower Compact which immediately went into effect among themselves. In 1779 Adams drafted most of the state constitution, and in 1780 it was ratified and went into effect with the establishment of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (where slavery was abolished in 1783 due to the constitution's declaration that all men are born free and equal). The third event did not take place in Massachusetts. But it is no less a significant event in that state's history than the first two; for in 1787 it participated in the convention that drafted the federal constitution, ratified it in 1788; and since 1789 when the new federal government was established, the history of the Commonwealth has been that of a member state of a union with a national government that implemented the ideas of a son of Massachusetts.

In view of these 3 events and their influence on American history, I decided that the design would not be complete unless these events that made good use of the quill pen in the establishment of a government of laws and not of men were referenced. For this reason, I added to the design the years in which these three documents took effect after ratification. These are the years 1620, 1780, and 1789. These were added to the blue ribbon bearing the motto, the shape of which had to be slightly altered to better accommodate the motto and the 3 year numbers. The inclusion of these references to three social compacts adds to the anti-Trump character of the design if only because Trump breached one of them. The actions he took to remain in office with an attempt to flip the outcome of state elections and overturn his defeat were built on lies and amounted to an abuse of the trust the nation placed in him when he assumed the duties of U.S. President and vowed as head of state, head of government, and commander in chief to preserve, protect, and defend the nationwide compact known as the U.S. Constitution. With the addition of these references to the three aforementioned documents, I completed my anti-Trump redesign of the coat of arms of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Here is an illustration of a design that is emblematic of the Commonwealth's contribution to the American constitutional system of government:

ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS COAT OF ARMS
Redesign with new crest and motto

Here is an alternate redesign of the coat of arms that includes a parchment scroll in the crest:

ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS COAT OF ARMS
Alternate redesign with new crest and motto

Here is an illustration of the redesigned coat of arms on the state flag:

ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS STATE FLAG
Redesign with new crest and motto in coat of arms

Finally, here is an illustration of the redesigned coat of arms on the state seal:

ANTI-TRUMP MASSACHUSETTS STATE SEAL
Redesign with new crest and motto in coat of arms

Obviously, this redesign preserves most of Garrett's design and for the casual observer hardly differs from it. When seen from a great distance, the two are almost indistinguishable except to the most discriminating observers. Perhaps this is reason enough for some to object to it if this were a serious redesign proposal. Others may see a symbolism that brands Native Americans as outlaws in spite of all I have written above. As for me and Minute Man, whatever merits this redesign may have as a serious proposal for change, it is only meant to be a way to vicariously toss more darts at The Donald's face during an election year. If this conjures up in the minds of others a vision of John Adams doing the tossing, then so much the better. It has served its purpose.

Having said this much about the controversial coat of arms which appears on the state seal and flag, should it be changed? In the current design of the coat of arms the hand bearing the sword is the enemy of tyrants--not indigenous peoples. The motto is in fact an abridged version of Algernon Sydney's expression that this hand (his pen) is the enemy of tyrants:

Based on this fact, perhaps a case can be made for replacing the sword with a pen as illustrated below:

MASSACHUSETTS COAT OF ARMS
Redesign with new crest

And perhaps a case can also be made for having a state seal and a state flag with different designs since the coat of arms was originally designed for use on a seal, not a flag.

However, for 243 years the Great Seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has born upon its face the representation of the arms of the Commonwealth that was defined in 1780. Because the arms has endured for generations that had no objection to its use on the state seal and even carried flags adorned with the arms in times of war and peace, there is a tradition here that should be acknowledged and respected and not ignored or dismissed out of hand. Even though I live far from Massachusetts, it is clear to me that the history and heraldry of its coat of arms should be understood by anyone who would take issue with it. It was never meant to be a triumphant expression of racial supremacy and interpreting it as such out of ignorance of its history and heraldry demeans the motives of the generation of Massachusetts residents who adopted this symbol during the Revolutionary War when their concern was rebellion against tyranny and not racism. When in 1780 Nathan Cushing designed the coat of arms, this country was in its sixth year of fighting for its independence; and the fighting was not over. Nor was independence assured. Governor John Hancock approved the coat of arms and its use on the state seal because it expressed the noble aspiration of a generation of Americans to persevere in the defense of their inalienable rights and never settle for a peace with no liberty. The motto ENSE PETIT PLACIDAM SVB LIBERTATE QVIETEM (By The Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty) remains undiminished in its relevance. Sadly enough, history has shown over the last two and a half centuries how nations divided or under stress became the breeding grounds for demagogues who delivered a promised peace but through an usurpation of power where they become dictators who destroyed democracy. This country has had little regard for such leaders since the time it revolted against a tyrant king. Nor does it have much use for a sore loser who continues to bitterly denounce his election loss as a fraud and disparage the voice of the people like an arrogant, autocratic El Supremo by saying A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution. This is dictator talk and true to form his campaign speeches feature threats of retaliation that will be carried out if he is reelected. Whether this talk is meant to be taken literally or not, it does no service to this country because it arises from a personal ambition, conceit, and vindictiveness which promote division, political instability, and retreat from the democratic values upon which this country is founded. The lack of character demonstrated throughout his lifetime and his conduct during his tumultuous term in office and afterwards are unbecoming of a U.S. President. The American people recognized this truth about Donald J. Trump when they denied him the presidency in 2020. They should do so again in 2024.

So here we have 6 flag ideas for Minute Man's flagpole. The first five are manifestly anti-Trump which will please Minute Man to no end. As for the sixth, despite Minute Man's opposition to changing the state flag, with such loathing for the Bete Noire of Mar-a-Lago, he'll welcome this design that proclaims a nation of laws and not of men as an anti-Trump unofficial version of the Massachusetts state flag for the 2024 presidential election year. Besides, he'd welcome any words of Adams that make Trump look all the worse. So which of these do I think will end up on his flagpole? Given Minute Man's contempt for The Donald it wouldn't surprise me if he ran all six up the flagpole to serve as signal flags that convey the following warning to the nation:

WARNING! WARNING! DANGER! DANGER! JAIL THIS TOXIC WINDBAG AND KEEP AMERICA SAFE! WE ARE A NATION OF LAWS AND NOT OF MEN!

Sincerely,

W. B.

William Brahms
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